


I Edehel Cóon

by Auroras5tar



Series: Seongjoong Week 2020 [3]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Lord of the Rings, But not really Self-Exile, Daggers, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Dwarves, Elves, Exile, Horses, Longing, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Self-Exile, They don't get together, Time Skips, Unrequited Love, Wizards, emotional restraint, prince!seonghwa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:40:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24366697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auroras5tar/pseuds/Auroras5tar
Summary: Prince Seonghwa of the Silvan Elves, or Wood-Elves, lived with the same routine, only broken up by when he snuck out of the Halls to catch his breath and clear his mind without the Hall staff or other nobility around. That is until Hongjoong moved in, but he didn't expect to catch feelings for the other Elf during years of companionship.What's worse is that he had kept it hidden for years until one night he got drunk and actually confessed to Hongjoong about his feelings.
Relationships: Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Song Mingi (implied/mentioned)
Series: Seongjoong Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763071
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16
Collections: Seongjoong Week 2020





	I Edehel Cóon

**Author's Note:**

> This may end up being a longer work at some point, so this may be a bit choppy and short, which I apologize for. I just needed to get at least some of this idea out for Seongjoong Week, and as I wrote, I kept getting more ideas. :")

Seonghwa had grown up in the lands of Mirkwood. It was something he loved. If he wasn’t in the Elvenking’s Halls, then he would be out exploring the woods and mountains surrounding the Halls and practicing his archery skills. His life consisted of training to be king, schooling, combat skills, and honing in hunting skills in a repeated cycle with few variations.

That all changed when his father promoted a Commander to lead his Royal Guard and started to live in the Hall with his son. Seonghwa had never seen either of them nor did he have the time to find out as his father started making him attend more and more events as days turned into weeks and weeks into months.

It was almost a year after the promotion that Seonghwa met the Commander’s son at the age of 15. He was on his way out of the Halls to have a break from the stuffy air and rigid mannerisms when they met. Briskly walking as fast as he could without breaking his composure and posture through the halls, Seonghwa knew he needed to get away now before he was summoned to something else, but in his haste to escape, he didn’t notice the sounds of other elves his age playing in the hall he turned into.

Right as he turned into the hall, he found himself pulled and pressed to a wall. His reflexes kicked in, and he spun the two of them around so that the other who was keeping him pressed to the wall was the one now pinned before he pulled his small dagger out of its sheath on his thigh to press against the other’s throat. All sounds of playing stopped as the other let out a startled noise and froze, the others recognizing the sandy brown hair of the prince. It was then that Seonghwa blinked and realized the boy he was pinning was only his age.

He pulled away quickly and sheathed his dagger, straightening out his clothes before making sure the other boy was unharmed. If he had hurt anyone ― especially of his age ― his father would skin him alive, and Seonghwa did not want nor need that experience in his life. His eyes searched the other boy’s face to make sure he wasn’t scared or hurt, and once he didn’t find any traces of those emotions, he turned to leave, but a hand caught his wrist. The other elves the boy was playing with gasped and started to whisper, obviously recognizing Seonghwa as the Prince, but this boy either didn’t know or didn’t care. Either option was a welcome change for him.

“Hey. I saved you from getting hit from our ball just for you to pin me against a wall and put a dagger to my throat, and you think it’s ok to just walk away?”

Seonghwa felt his lips twitch in amusement before he turned back to face the other boy, taking in his soft, delicate features framed by platinum hair. The boy was undeniably pretty, and Seonghwa was not at all surprised by the impeccably high pitch of his voice. He didn’t think the boy would fully grow out of the high pitch, which Seonghwa could live with if this boy stayed in the Halls and near him.

“My apologies. Your methods of saving me from impending... _ball_ doom triggered my survival reflexes. Perhaps you should think wiser before acting. Not everyone is as friendly and nonviolent as you appear to be. Now if you would please unhand me, I would like to-”

“Young Master!”

Seonghwa cut off as his advisor called out for him, and he glanced around before locking his gaze back on the boy. He stepped forward towards the boy with a hint of a smirk present on his face.

“Would you like to accompany me on an adventure to make up for my plight?”

The platinum haired boy blinked in surprise before nodding. Once Seonghwa saw the nod, he broke the boy’s grip before grasping his wrist instead and tugging him along as he ran off, ignoring the glances the other teenage elves were giving them. They kept running, weaving between elves in the hall before running out the front door and into the woods. The guards didn’t even blink since they were used to Seonghwa escaping into the woods and knew it wouldn’t end well if they went after him.

As soon as they were far enough from the Halls, Seonghwa finally let go of Hongjoong’s wrist and stepped away as he straightened his clothes once more before straightening his back and folding his hands behind his back. He gazed around the woods before the other boy cleared his throat, drawing his attention back to the slightly shorter elf. Another thing about this elf that was unusual. He dimly noted in the back of his mind that the elf was handsome. No. Not handsome. That didn’t fit his delicate features. The elf was pretty, and Seonghwa knew he was in for a wild experience if he managed to befriend him.

“So… You’re the Prince, I’m assuming? Prince Seonghwa?”

“Indeed. Were you not privy to the knowledge of my identity? You are the Commander’s son are you not? You should have knowledge of my identity.”

“I am, but I-I did not know, actually.”

“Hmm. You must not be grooming to take your father’s place then.”

“Not yet. My dad wants me to live a normal childhood… Something I’m assuming you are not.”

“You are correct. I have not had a normal childhood. It’s been history lessons, sparring lessons, mannerisms lessons… Any other kind of lesson my father can imagine and deploy at me to shackle me to the Halls for as long as possible. Though, I must avow that I am prone to fleeing the Halls any time I have prior knowledge of an uninhabited hour or two.”

“Ah. Is that just what happened?”

Seonghwa let out a noncommittal hum and nodded at the other.

“It is, which is unfortunate since it prohibited me from procuring your name.”

“O-Oh. That’s right. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Hongjoong. Did you not know my name?”

“Hmm. Unlike you, I had prior knowledge. I know of a lot of what happens in the Halls as well as names of elves under my father’s care. I just wished to hear you speak your own name.”

Watching Hongjoong turn pink slightly, Seonghwa chuckled quietly. He then turned away and jerked his head in the direction away from the Halls, signalling to walk further away as Hongjoong followed in step.

“So your dad has you taking classes? Does he have a class on how to eat, too? It seems like he made classes for every activity.”

Seonghwa didn’t reply, picking up that Hongjoong was being sarcastic. After a few moments of silence, Hongjoong grabbed Seonghwa’s arm and jerked him to a stop before turning to face him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. He does?!”

Letting a grimace show on his face, Seonghwa glanced away with a heavy sigh. He managed to notice the way Hongjoong’s jaw dropped at the admission.

“Seonghwa, you need to speak up about all these classes.”

“Authority, I have not against my father, Hongjoong. Not until I reach 18 revolutions. I have been strategizing plans on exploring Middle Earth instead of residing in Mirkwood for as long as I breathe. My father is just delaying the inevitable as much as is possible.”

“Well, I’ll come with you. I bet our dads won’t let us take over for centuries.”

“If you shall accompany me, Hongjoong, you must be able to hold yourself in combat. You could not even defend against my reflexes.”

“Then teach me. We have years to practice.”

“Alright. I shall become your teacher.”

°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°

Three years later, Seonghwa had finalized his plans and convinced his father to let him out of Mirkwood without any guards, and his friendship with Hongjoong grew. As did his feelings that he noted would no doubt give him trouble if he became closer to the shorter elf. He had proven his survival skills plenty of times with Hongjoong when they would disappear into the vast woods that laid in the Mirkwood territory for a night or two when Seonghwa was overwhelmed with events in the Halls.

The duo had their possessions on their horses as they trotted out of Mirkwood together. They had already made themselves aware of where they would be heading, so without much thought, the two broke into a gallop and let their horses run free along the path they would take to Rivendell before moving on along the main road until they got the hang of things.

Eventually, the two pulled their horses up to a walk so that they wouldn’t waste all of their stamina before they made the estimated distance for one day. They rode in silence for a while, but Seonghwa smiled widely, quickly looking like he was in disgust or pain as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. His muscles were fully relaxed for the first time since he had met Hongjoong, and he was even slouching slightly before his horsemanship kicked back in to straighten his back.

A giggle pulled him from his thoughts, and he glanced over to the source and saw Hongjoong staring at him with his own wide grin. The prince steered his horse closer to Hongjoong’s and kicked his foot towards the other, lightly kicking his calf.

“For what are you… giggling at?”

“I do not giggle!”

“Hmm. On the contrary, you very much do, my friend.”

“I do not! Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m laughing because for the first time since I’ve met you, you finally don’t look like a wound up snake ready to pounce. This is the first time I’ve seen you look anything like you are: a young elf. Not to mention that… What was that? A grimace?”

Seonghwa managed to look offended and kick out again before placing his foot back in the stirrup.

“That was an action you might label a smile, Hongjoong. I am well aware that my smile is not the most handsome in the land. Why else would I choose not to reveal it to many people?”

“Not handsome? Your smile is one of the best I’ve seen, Your Hig-”

A sharp look from Seonghwa had Hongjoong cutting off before the prince swung his horse around to cut off Hongjoong’s horse to make sure the other could hear and see him as he spoke his next words with a chilled seriousness unusual towards Hongjoong.

“We agreed to not reveal my royal status while out of Elven territory, Hongjoong. It would be in your and my best interest to remember that agreement. You must recall the horror stories both our fathers made sure to recount to us about what bandits do to creatures like me that aid in them gaining some gift or power.”

Hongjoong’s eyes widened at Seonghwa’s sudden demeanor change and nodded quickly. Despite the duo having been friends for a few years and quickly becoming inseparable, Hongjoong was still discovering new things about Seonghwa and vice versa. After a few moments where Seonghwa was searching Hongjoong’s face for any signs of insincerity, he nodded to himself and turned his horse back towards their destination, letting Hongjoong’s horse move once more.

“Hey, Hwa. I’m sorry. I forgot. You know how used to being on my toes while being in the Halls. You can’t blame me for years of habit built up. I’ll work my hardest to fix it. Ok? Don’t be mad.”

Hongjoong watched Seonghwa’s shoulders sink as he bowed his head forward while releasing a breath. The prince stayed like that for a while before picking his head back up and glancing towards Hongjoong with a friendlier gaze that managed to show the sadness he was feeling.

“I am not vexed, Hongjoong. I am downheartened. The Halls have created many distasteful habits and mannerisms I wish not to possess or be the source of.”

“Of course. We’ll get past it, Seonghwa. Together.”

Seonghwa hummed non-committedly as the last word rang throughout his mind and caused his heart to race no matter the warning whispering in the back of his mind that the two would never be together in the way that he desired.

°»｡ ∾･⁙･ ღ ➵ ⁘ ➵ ღ ･⁙･∾ ｡«°

Years flew by, blurring together for the duo as they travelled all of Middle Earth and made many new friends, memories, and adventures. Seonghwa’s feelings never faded but instead grew into something more than a crush despite his efforts. All the while, Hongjoong gave no indication of any less than friendly feelings growing inside of his own heart, so Seonghwa kept his feelings buried deep inside of his chest even though his heart hurt every time Hongjoong took some other human or elf that wasn’t him to bed.

It was one of the nights that Hongjoong and Seonghwa decided to splurge at a tavern before they headed to their room in the inn. Seonghwa was on his fourth mug of mead and was therefore incapacitated in comparison to Hongjoong who was nursing his second mug of mead, knowing he would have to take care of the drunken, giggly prince. He wouldn’t lie and say that seeing Seonghwa completely complacent in his drunken state wasn’t refreshing to see, but Seonghwa could be a handful. Especially since over the years, he himself had not managed to catch up to the prince’s height.

After the fifth time Seonghwa almost fell out of his chair unprompted, Hongjoong stood up and paid their tab before dragging the prince to his feet and towards their room. Seonghwa followed his silent orders, having learned all Hongjoong’s nonverbal cues to pick up on even when he was as drunk as he was, even if he stumbled sometimes and almost dragged both of them to the ground. Hongjoong shook his head as an affectionate smile overtook his features at the childish antics Seonghwa was pulling as they finally arrived at their room. Drunk Seonghwa is always a cute Seonghwa. No matter his title.

Hongjoong gently deposited Seonghwa on his respect bed and started to change his clothes into more suitable sleeping clothes. It was at this time that Seonghwa managed to blink open his eyes to see Hongjoong’s face right over his as the shorter male took off his shirt, and he instantly smiled with a giggle.

“Joongie~”

“Yes, Hwa?”

“You… You are… Oh, wha’s tha word? Pretty! You are pretty.”

“Oh? Am I?”

“Yes. You-You always ha...ve been.”

“Is that so? Well, you’re handsome.”

“Na the same. M-My heart… has chosen you… Long ‘ime.”

Hongjoong paused in the middle of taking Seonghwa’s boots off at the lethargic and stuttered confession, and he glanced up at the drunken prince who was holding his hands towards the ceiling and folding his fingers down in a pattern only Seonghwa could make sense of. In the back of Hongjoong’s mind, he dimly noted that despite the seriousness of the conversation, Seonghwa’s speech was adorable. Over the years, Hongjoong’s informal speech had rubbed off on Seonghwa slightly, so when Seonghwa was drunk, his mind couldn’t figure out which way to speak. It was cute.

“What? Hwa, why have you never told me?”

“Wh-Why would I? Your heart has neber… chosen me. Ne’er will. Wanna be next to you… i-in any ca...capa...capacity!”

The platinum blonde frowned, not having picked up on any of these feelings when they interacted, but he should have known Seonghwa would put his wellbeing last in regards to Hongjoong. Perhaps he had not entirely gotten past Seonghwa’s facade after all. It was not like the prince was wrong, though. His heart belonged to that of a clumsy yet clever wizard by the name of Mingi that they had met years ago in a dwarven quest. The two had just never made anything official. Especially after Mingi was the cause of Hongjoong’s exile and Seonghwa’s voluntary exile, not wanting to leave Hongjoong alone.

“Seonghwa, journeying with me all these years must be taxing and painful for you. Why do you continue?”

“Would do any… No! E’erything for you. My-My… oldest and loyalest friend. My best… friend. Even if in pain.”

Hongjoong grimaced as he finally got Seonghwa settled in bed and went to move away, but a hand caught his before he could move out of reach.

“Do… Do you despise me now?”

It was the clearest and most normal thing the prince had said this whole conversation, and when Hongjoong met Seonghwa’s eyes, he could see that the brunette was not as drunk as he was before. Hongjoong moved to clasp his other hand over Seonghwa’s hand, squeezing with both hands.

“I don’t, Hwa. Never have, and I never will. Ok? I just wish you would have told me sooner and in a clearer state. That way, I could have potentially prevented any emotional pain you may have felt.”

“Not’ing you coulda prevented.”

Seonghwa let go of Hongjoong’s hand and rolled over to his side to have his back facing the blonde uncharacteristically. Hongjoong just sighed as he stared at Seonghwa’s back for a while before changing his own clothes into sleeping clothes and slipping into his own bed, but sleep evaded the blonde as he thought back to the past years. Suddenly, his mind could remember little slip ups and hints to the prince’s feelings towards him from their latest memories all the way back to their first meeting, causing Hongjoong to want to kick himself before falling asleep.

When Seonghwa woke up in the morning, he had a pounding headache, but what was strange was the lack of moving around in the room. He rolled onto his back and glanced towards Hongjoong’s bed to see it empty before he noticed the note on the table next to his bed. He grabbed the note, recognizing Hongjoong’s handwriting, and started reading.

_Dear Seonghwa,_

_I know you must be wondering where I am at if you’re reading this note before I got back. I’ve gone out to get some fresh air. I may be gone a few days so don’t wait up. I know you wanted to continue on towards Erebor, so don’t let me hold you back. I’ll catch up with you eventually._

_Your Best Friend,  
Hongjoong._

Seonghwa stared at the note blankly as he tried to figure out the reason behind his sudden escapade, glancing around as he noticed all of Hongjoong’s possessions were gone. He clenched his jaw as he wracked his brain, but all he got was a haze before it clicked. He felt lighter. Lighter than he had in all his time of knowing Hongjoong, adding together that he was so drunk that he could not remember what happened with Hongjoong’s absence, Seonghwa could only surmise that he had finally confessed his feelings to Hongjoong, and Hongjoong did not take them well.

Heaving himself up off the bed, he got ready for travel. He was going to go check on Jongho and the other dwarves in Erebor, but now he didn’t want to because then he would have to pass through Mirkwood. He would have to explain Hongjoong’s absence, and he didn’t want that. Maybe, he would head to Gondor and visit his friend King San. The younger haven risen to the throne after the Fellowship of the Ring quest and therefore war against Sauron. He didn’t want to be alone after years of consistently being with Hongjoong. He feared what would become of him if he was left alone.

He was in Edoras at the moment, but he figured if he rode all day and night, he could make it to Minas Tirith by early morning. Seonghwa nodded to himself and headed out of the inn after giving the innkeeper his key. Maybe Hongjoong leaving him would give his heart time to move on and find someone who would give his affections back, and maybe Gondor is the place to start looking. He knew Hongjoong would never leave him entirely. The blonde elf was no doubt going to Mingi and expecting one of their many friends to send a letter about Seonghwa’s arrival, keeping up with the prince that way.

As Seonghwa saddled his horse and mounted up gracefully, he felt a moment of peace wash through him as well as determination. He could do this. He could move on from Hongjoong and not lose him entirely. He turned his horse towards the road and started off on his new quest.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/5tarspromise) and [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/5tarspromise)!


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